- US regime sanctions Indian and Turkish firms accused of helping Iran
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“The United States has imposed sanctions on companies and individuals in India and Turkiye that it accuses of helping Iran get around restrictions on its oil exports and its airlines. The US Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that the measures target a ‘vast criminal network’ run by Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, who are based in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh. Two other Indian nationals who head the couple’s businesses and nine entities linked to Sharma were also sanctioned. According to the Treasury, the couple falsely claimed to represent the maritime authorities of countries including Guyana, Eswatini and Laos.” (11/05/26)
- Sources: Harmeet Dhillon set to resign as top DOJ civil rights official
Source: New York Post
“Department of Justice civil rights chief Harmeet Dhillon plans to resign as soon as Thursday after the GOP took a shellacking in the 2026 midterm elections, sources familiar with the situation told The Post. Dhillon, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, has helmed the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division since April 2025, handling the Trump administration’s probes of US universities, hate crimes at houses of worship and election integrity efforts. The civil rights chief told ‘Pod Force One’ host Miranda Devine in December that she was proud to oversee ‘the biggest single personnel self-purge in DOJ history.’ Nearly 70% of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division workforce quit, either over differences with the administration or in response to offers of payouts from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) payouts.” (11/05/26)
- The Pitt and ER are similar enough for lawsuit to proceed, judge rules
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US drama ‘The Pitt’ is similar enough to medical series ‘ER’ for a lawsuit against its producers to progress, a court in the US has ruled. The widow of Michael Crichton, who created ‘ER’, argues ‘The Pitt’ is effectively a reboot of the series, which has been made without proper permission or credit. Sherri Crichton says her husband’s contract included a ‘frozen rights’ provision that prohibited any spin-offs, sequels or reboots of ER being made without his express consent. A three-judge panel said there are ‘clear and numerous similarities between The Pitt and ER’, which means the case can go ahead. Warner Bros previously described the lawsuit as ‘baseless’ and sought to have it dismissed. Listing the similarities between the two shows, the court cited the emergency room setting, the fast pace, use of medical jargon, graphic depictions of injuries, and younger doctors fresh from medical school being trained.” (11/05/26)
- Vatican: Pope Leo XIV meets with Bob Dylan
Source: United Press International
“American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan visited Pope Leo XIV at the pontiff’s residence on Wednesday as part of the Vatican’s wider effort to create a bridge between the Catholic Church and popular culture. The Vatican News said the visit between the two men was brief and included a few lighthearted exchanges. Pope Leo gave Dylan a rosary and the singer gifted the pontiff a copy of his book Chronicles: Volume One. … Pope Leo quoted Dylan’s 1963 song ‘Go Away You Bomb’ in the preface of a printed collection of his speeches and reflections released in July.” (11/04/26)
https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2026/11/04/vatican-city-bob-dylan-pope-leo/8351793826241/
- Alaska, Mississippi Senate races separated by razor-thin vote margins
Source: Fox News
“Races between the candidates for U.S. Senate in Alaska and Mississippi are separated by razor-thin margins days after polls closed in the crucial midterm elections. In Mississippi, where 95.6% of the votes have been counted, according to the Associated Press, Democratic candidate Scott Colom leads incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith [R-MS], 464,926 votes to 463,788, as of Thursday morning. In Alaska, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, leads incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan [R-AK] by less than 700 votes. While Alaska still has a quarter of its votes to count, according to the AP, if the gap between Peltola and Sullivan remains this slim, the introduction of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan will loom large in post-election analyses.” (11/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/alaska-mississippi-senate-races-separate-razor-thin-vote-margins
- CA: Connie Chan concedes to Scott Wiener in San Francisco congressional race
Source: SFGate
“San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan conceded her race for Congress on Wednesday evening, as state Sen. Scott Wiener continued to pull ahead in vote totals after voting concluded Tuesday. That puts Wiener on track to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi despite her endorsement for his opponent. Chan posted a message to X and shared a statement with CNN, writing: ‘While we expect the margin to narrow significantly, we do not have a clear path to victory. I congratulate Scott Wiener on his election and wish him success in serving San Francisco.’ The latest vote totals released Wednesday afternoon by the San Francisco Department of Elections had Wiener ahead with more than 55% of the vote. The New York Times estimated that 57% of votes have been counted.” (11/04/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/scott-wiener-sf-congress-22513116.php
- ICE Was Secretly Ordered to Stop All Immigration Raids on Election Day
Source: The Intercept
“Orders for what one official called a ‘national no enforcement day’ began circulating on Monday inside U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Handed down through ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division through internal group chats and verbal commands, the directive called for a halt to all immigration enforcement operations on Election Day, according to ICE officials across the country who spoke to The Intercept. … According to multiple ICE officials who spoke to The Intercept, the orders were handed down quietly to avoid media attention.” (11/04/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/11/04/ice-orders-stop-election-day/
- The Annual Fundraiser Strikes Back
THANK YOU to subscribing contributors SH and T — their $5 in (monthly!) donations yesterday brings our annual fundraiser total to $1,151.50!
Our goal is $5,503. Once we’ve raised the first half, supporter GL has pledged to “match funds” for the other half … but we MUST raise the first half to get the second half, and we remain $1,600 short of that amount. So:
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Have a great Thursday!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - France: Unions Unite for Nationwide Strikes
Source: US News & World Report
“French trade unions are joining forces on Thursday for nationwide strikes and demonstrations for higher wages and in support of the high school protest movement, piling new pressure on the beleaguered government. After more than a month of regular and large protests across France, major rallies are again expected in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, with hundreds of thousands of people likely to turn out. Transportation chaos is expected and some schools could be shut as teachers join the strike. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 70,000 police are being deployed, backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters. Police have been criticized for injuring protesters with heavy-handed tactics.” (11/05/26)
- Russia: Regime says it struck logistics and transport targets in Ukraine overnight
Sourc: Raleigh News & Observer
“The Russian military said on Thursday it hit logistics and transport targets in various regions of Ukraine overnight. In Kharkiv region, a Nova Poshta logistics hub was struck, as well as railway locomotives and an industrial building at the Thermal Power Plant 2. The logistics hub was used by Ukrainian military to assemble drones, the Russian Defence Ministry said In Dnipropetrovsk region a power station was hit.: (11/05/26)
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/world/article317936360.html
- IN: State employees carry out first of three planned nationwide prisoner killings
Source: CBS News
“An Indiana man who admitted killing his girlfriend’s two children was [killed] early Thursday in the first of three lethal injections scheduled for the same day in the U.S. Jeffrey Weisheit killed the children, ages 8 and 5, by setting fire to his girlfriend’s house in the Evansville area in 2010. … Florida and Alabama were also set to carry out [prisoner killings] Thursday, which would mark the second time this year that three people in the U.S. would be put to death on the same day.” (11/05/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-us-executions-same-day-second-time/
- Ethiopia: Regime expels six Sudanese diplomats, orders closure of consulate
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Ethiopia has ordered six Sudanese diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours and closed Sudan’s consulate in the border town of Asosa, according to media reports. The reports on Tuesday came as tensions between the countries continue to rise, with Sudan accusing Ethiopia of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while Ethiopia accuses Sudan of backing rebels in its northern Tigray region. The allegations and counter-allegations, which both sides deny, have raised fears that the two wars could bleed into each other, spawning a broader conflict in the Horn of Africa.” (11/04/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/4/sudan-ethiopia-order-tit-for-tat-diplomatic-expulsions
- MS: US Senate race heads to an extended vote count and possible ballot battle
Source: NBC News
“The Mississippi Senate race may take days to resolve, as Democrat Scott Colom leads GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes in the current vote count. And as votes continue to be counted, all eyes are on an unknown number of ballots that could shift the result — and lead to a very murky recount process. … Around 6,000 mail ballots appear to have been distributed but not yet been returned Monday, according to data from the Mississippi secretary of state’s office, which did not reply to a request for comment. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted in Mississippi if they are received by 5 p.m. Nov. 10. An unknown number of so-called affidavit ballots, also known as provisional ballots, are also outstanding.” (11/04/26)
- UK: 320,000 files leaked in Bristol schools cyber-attack
Source: Yahoo! News
“An investigation has found that 320,000 files stolen [sic] from a council’s school network have been published online following a cyber-attack on 88 schools in Bristol. Bristol City Council says a significant number of files have been made available online. It’s urgently working with Avon and Somerset Police, the South West’s regional organised crime unit and cybersecurity experts to review what information has been leaked and who exactly is affected. Schools are being issued with guidance to reduce the risks of scams and fraud that can follow a data theft. Bristol City Council say the cyber-attack happened in September and affected schools that use its Trading with Schools IT platform.” (11/04/26)
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/childrens-data-leaked-criminals-bristol-085850652.html
- Former “Diddy” prosecutor to lead investigation into alleged Cornell sexual assault
Source: NBC News
“New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday that a former federal prosecutor who oversaw the criminal case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will lead the investigation into an alleged 2024 sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity house. Former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell graduate, was also the first chief of the civil rights unit in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Kelly is now a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, a firm that represented women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse. … A former Cornell student filed a lawsuit under the pseudonym Jane Doe in September, accusing seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of plying her with drugs and sexually assaulting her after what was initially a consensual threesome at the chapter’s house on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024.” [editor’s note: My recollection is that this prosecutor was only able to get Combs convicted on two of five charges – TLK] (11/04/26)
- Israel: Herzog accepts certified election results in a blow to Netanyahu’s claim of vote fraud
Source: Boston Herald
“Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday accepted as legally binding the certified results from last week’s parliamentary elections and said he would begin consultations with party representatives on the formation of a new government. Herzog’s acceptance of the results as valid dealt a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to discredit the vote in which his religious-nationalist bloc lost its majority in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, while Arab-led parties made historic gains. Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that the Arab-led parties had ‘stolen’ the election, possibly with foreign assistance. The Israeli president is required now to sit down with various party leaders to determine who to name as prime minister-designate — a process that could potentially bring Netanyahu’s opponents to power.” (11/04/26)
- Johnson out as US House Republican leader
Source: Semafor
“House Speaker Mike Johnson privately told staff he is not planning on running for minority leader or any other leadership role in the next Congress, according to people familiar with the comments. His decision will kick off a scramble among House Republican leadership contenders in the aftermath of their sweeping losses Tuesday night. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and current Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., are launching leadership bids on Wednesday. … Republicans could see other shakeups further down their leadership chain. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, currently the Republican Study Committee chair, announced in a letter to GOP colleagues Wednesday that he’d run for the second-ranking position.” (11/04/26)
https://www.semafor.com/article/11/04/2026/johnson-out-as-house-republican-leader
- Australia: Regime argues in court that social media ban is FOR THE CHILLLLLLLLDREN
Source: Toronto Star [Canada]
“Government lawyers told Australia’s highest court on Wednesday that a world-first ban on children younger than 16 from holding social media accounts was necessary to protect developing brains. The Australian government is fighting in the High Court two constitutional challenges to the ban that took effect last year on young children holding accounts on Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch. The challenges were brought by Reddit, a U.S. online forum, and Sydney-based rights group Digital Freedom Project.” (11/04/26)
- TX: Regime wants to dramatically expand alligator hunting
Source: Houston Chronicle
“Texas could soon give alligator hunters significantly more time to pursue the reptiles as wildlife officials grapple with a surprising trend: more alligators, but fewer being hunted. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is proposing to more than triple the alligator hunting season in 22 Southeast Texas counties, including Galveston, Brazoria, Chambers, Jefferson and Liberty. The season would expand from 20 to 61 days, running from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 instead of Sept. 10 through Sept. 30. The changes, which will be discussed during a Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4, would also allow nighttime alligator hunting on private property, including private waters, and expand the methods hunters can use to capture the reptiles.” (11/04/26)
https://www.chron.com/wildlife/article/texas-alligator-hunting-season-changes-22509593.php
- Contractor admits passing US regime’s top-secret information to Ethiopian regime
Source: ABC News
“A former U.S. government contractor has admitted passing classified intelligence to Ethiopia that officials used in military operations, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. Abraham Teklu Lemma, 54, supplied secrets to senior Ethiopian officials for more than two years urging them to deploy drones against fighters battling the government, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington. Lemma, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to transmit national defense information to a foreign government. He worked as an information technology contractor at the State Department, Justice Department and National Reconnaissance Office, prosecutors said.” (11/04/26)
- How Tariffs Became the Millstone That Sank the GOP
Source: The Dispatch
by Phillip W Magness“Within hours of Tuesday night’s rout, Vice President J.D. Vance had settled on an explanation: “The reason we lost is the war.” It is a convenient story. The war in Iran is unpopular, and the spike in gasoline prices that came with it certainly didn’t help Republicans. But the war is not what caused the blue wave. Tariffs were the millstone that sank the GOP ticket—and the White House had years of warning.” (11/05/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/tariffs-midterms-j-d-vance-donald-trump-republicans/
- The Korea Conundrum
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“Perhaps, when we get right down to it, the threat that Pyongyang and Kim pose to the West is not provided by his dream of the world’s strongest army. Rather, it is one of the strongest arguments still in the world today of what the true fruits of socialism are.” (11/04/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/11/04/the-korea-conundrum/
- Make bad things bad again
Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko“The masked secret police, abductions, murders, and violence against peaceful protesters, weaponization of the DOJ, selling of pardons, terrorizing immigrants, occupations of entire cities, open air bribes, assaults on the free press, weaponization of intelligence, brazen constitutional violations, transparent lying to the courts, white supremacist messaging, white supremacist policy, graft, corrupt diplomacy, and too many other offenses to name — these are unacceptable trespasses on our values. They aren’t mere policy differences between the two major parties. If we don’t make it clear that this administration’s violence, racism, corruption, and crime are aberrant and intolerable, we’ll instead make clear that they’re neither. And we’ll make it easier for the next Trump, the next time around.” (11/04/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/make-bad-things-bad-again
- GOP is wounded, not dead, but recovery has to start now
Source: Fox News
by Hugh Hewitt“The GOP isn’t dead, but it sure does look and feel that way in the harsh light of the day after Tuesday’s walloping. The myth of Rasputin is that a Russian monk who pretended to mysticism was poisoned, stabbed, shot, beaten and thrown in a river. He somehow climbed out of the drink and survived. He didn’t. Miraculous recoveries only happen in the movies, as with ‘Boris the Bullet Dodger’ in Guy Ritchie’s beloved ‘Snatch’, which starred Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina. If you are a Republican feeling low after Tuesday night’s nationwide wipeout, ‘Snatch’ is a good viewing choice. If you or your boss lost, you need to have a laugh because there is no crying in baseball or politics. Wipeouts happen, and the GOP isn’t going to suddenly pull itself beaten and bruised out of the Potomac.” (11/05/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/hugh-hewitt-gop-wounded-not-dead-recovery-has-start-now
- The Democrats’ Affordability Trap
Source: The Atlantic
by David A Graham“Across the country, Democratic candidates campaigned and won by railing against Donald Trump’s handling of the economy. When they take control of Congress in January, however, they’ll find themselves with few direct levers to bring down prices. We don’t need to guess what happens to politicians who campaign on affordability and don’t deliver. We saw it last night.” (11/04/26)
- Impeach Pete Hegseth for the Disastrous Iran War
Source: Reason
by Gene Healy“Congress shouldn’t be afraid to remove the secretary of defense for his many war crimes and misdemeanors.” (11/04/26)
https://reason.com/2026/11/04/impeach-pete-hegseth-for-the-disastrous-iran-war/
- The Progressive Agenda: End Iran War, Rein in AI, Get Dems to Actually Do Something
Source: The Intercept
by Akela Lacy“Now that Democrats have secured earth-shattering wins in both chambers of Congress, the party’s progressives are sending a message to their more moderate leaders: It’s time to deliver for voters who are demanding meaningful action.” (11/04/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/11/04/midterms-democrats-agenda-congress-iran-ai/
- The GOP’s Teen Boy Problem is Bigger Than Lindsey Graham.
Source: Desultory Scribblings
by Tyler Harris“In the summer of 2003, at the age of 18, I found myself sitting in the gallery of the US House of Representatives refusing the advances of a 61-year-old congressman. It’s all come to the front of my mind lately, a place from which I am wont to arduously push it, in the wake of three men, one of them only 17 at the time, coming forward to share their experiences being paid for sex by Lindsey Graham.” (11/04/26)
https://tylerjohnharris.substack.com/p/the-gops-teen-boy-problem-is-bigger
- Taxation Without Representation at the Special School District
Source: Show-Me Institute
by David Stokes“The Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County provides public education for children with special needs throughout St. Louis County and portions of Jefferson County. It is one of two special school districts in Missouri, with the other one being Pemiscot County. (Why Pemiscot County has its own countywide special school district is a topic for another blog post.) Some St. Louis and Jefferson County residents who may not have been that familiar with the district are about to become more familiar, as it just raised its tax rates substantially without a vote of the people.” (11/04/26)
- No, Mayor Mamdani, Voting on Everything Doesn’t Promote Dignity
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Vincent Cook“Being free to cast just one trifling vote among thousands or millions of votes for deciding how to run the breadline, how to assign living quarters, etc. is not some magical ‘power’ that gives you any meaningful control over your own life. Quite to the contrary, it’s the commissars and their enforcers (secret police, neighborhood watch committees, people’s tribunals, etc.) who would exercise a terrifying arbitrary power of life and death over all voters, rendering their voting rights irrelevant and any dignified life under their rule impossible.” (11/04/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/no-mayor-mamdani-voting-everything-doesnt-promote-dignity
- Progressive Caucus Wants to Deliver on Democratic Promises
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), appearing with four progressives who won in swing seats in the midterms, called for Democrats to pass populist legislation ‘every week’ in the next term focusing on corporate corruption, lower costs, and higher wages. The Progressive Caucus, which expects to welcome at least 25 new members, and will begin the upcoming 120th Congress with more than 100, is putting down an early marker on how Democrats should conduct themselves, with what is likely to be one of the biggest House majorities since the early 1990s. ‘We have won immense amounts of political power, and now is the most important time to deliver to keep that power,’ said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), a vice chair of the caucus and co-chair of the CPC’s political action committee, which spent millions of dollars in swing seats this year.” (11/04/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/11/04/progressive-caucus-wants-to-deliver-on-democratic-promises/
- A Mandate, If You Can Keep It
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov“Trump says that he accepts the midterm results today. Perhaps this is a case like Hungary and Serbia, where the margins proved too big for Viktor Orban and Aleksandar Vucic to rig. We’ll see what the mercurial president says tomorrow. But who among Trump’s henchmen will stick their necks out for him now? Once seated, the new Congress must ensure there are consequences for the administration’s overreach and malfeasance—even in the unlikely event that Trump keeps up the conciliatory tone. Failure to do so will only invite another, more competent demagogue to attack American democracy.” (11/04/26)
- Trump’s Kakistocracy Lost to Democrats’ Multicultural Meritocracy
Source: The UnPopulist
by Shikha Dalmia“Under authoritarian regimes, F.A. Hayek wrote, the worst get to the top because they are the only ones willing to engage in the kind of depravity that the Dear Leader demands. So this election season, Trump’s Own Party put its dregs on the ballot. By contrast, Democrats leaned into a strategy of liberal inclusion—meritocratic multiculturalism—and ferreted out political talent wherever it existed: Muslims, Hispanics, gays, even a Paralympian. What resulted was a contest between kakistocracy and meritocracy—and kakistocracy lost. Bigly. Even by the standards of authoritarians, Donald Trump is in a class apart—a rational strongman would have helped his party field candidates with the best shot at keeping its grip on Congress, or at least not losing as badly as it did.” (11/04/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-authoritarianism-gutted-gop
- Politicians Come and Go. The Machinery of Oppression Remains
Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead“After a midterm election that saw billions of dollars spent on political advertising and a Democratic wave sweep Republicans out of power in Congress, Americans have once again been promised a new direction for the country. The voters have spoken. The balance of power in Washington has shifted. A new Congress will have the opportunity to rein in an imperial presidency and hold the government accountable for its abuses. But the question that must rightfully be asked is: what comes next? Will Congress finally rein in the surveillance state, the militarization of the police, the detention machinery, the endless wars, the government spending spree and the corporate interests that profit from the American police state? Or will the politicians settle back into their comfortable routines while the government machine keeps right on running? This is where Hollywood’s dystopian warnings become disturbingly relevant.” (11/04/26)
- A Great Antiwar Victory
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison“The party in power typically loses seats in a midterm election, but the president has to do something catastrophically stupid to provoke a backlash this large. In Trump’s case, it was his decision to start an illegal war of aggression against Iran that destroyed his presidency and wrecked his party. The party running proudly antiwar candidates prevailed, and the mindlessly pro-war party was routed. While there were several reasons for the extensive Republican losses, this was above all a great antiwar victory. … Voters want an end to the war and accountability for the government’s destructive policies. Americans are giving the Democrats a chance to rein in the president’s open corruption and abuses of power. Once the new Congress is in session, the priority has to be forcing an end to the war using the power of the purse.” (11/04/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/a-great-antiwar-victory
- Russia Wants To Censor Americans. Why Are US Tech Companies Helping?
Source: Reason
by Jack Verrill“When Russia designated the Human Rights Foundation as ‘undesirable’ earlier this year, the New York City–based nonprofit knew what was coming next. In September, the HRF received a notice demanding it block Russians from accessing its signature Tyranny Tracker. But the notice did not come from Russia; it came from WP Engine, a web hosting company headquartered in Austin, Texas. … The Guaranteeing Rights Against Novel International Tyranny and Extortion (GRANITE) Act aims to stop this. Introduced in the House by Rep. Michael Rulli (R–Ohio) in August and currently sitting in the Judiciary Committee, the bill would confirm in statute that U.S. courts will not enforce foreign censorship orders, and would allow individuals to sue foreign censors for attempting to restrict the protected speech of American citizens. The former is the shield; the latter is the sword.” (11/04/26)
https://reason.com/2026/11/04/russia-wants-to-censor-americans-why-are-u-s-tech-companies-helping/
- Did Voters Get Things Wrong on Tuesday?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Paul Mueller“With another election season behind us, we should revisit some of the great economic and political debates about the merits of voting and electoral politics. While majorities successfully elected candidates and passed referenda across the country on Tuesday, they will likely not be happy with all the effects of their choices on society. Or, to put it another way, the majority got what it wanted, but it is not going to like it.” (11/04/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/did-voters-get-things-wrong-on-tuesday/
- A Plea to the Next Congress
Source: The American Conservative
by Luke Nicastro“We have now entered the ninth month of an asinine and unwinnable conflict prosecuted by the White House in open defiance of the Constitution—which, for those who have forgotten, sagely reserves to Congress the power to declare war. And for all the casuistry and careful word-games of executive branch lawyers, for all the attempts by cabinet officials and congressional leadership to cloud and complicate the obvious, for all the recent protestations of the president himself—usually admirably forthright about the essential warrishness of the war—that this is ‘not a war’ or a ‘soft war,’ it is, in fact, a war. Its commencement without congressional authorization was unlawful; its termination by congressional action is essential if our legislature is to regain its constitutional role (not to mention its institutional self-respect).” (11/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/a-plea-to-the-next-congress/
- “Lawyer Up”: Dems Prepare to Unleash Political Rage in Congress
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Within minutes of the Democrats retaking power in the House of Representatives, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the expected chair of the House Oversight Committee, just posted a menacing two-word message: ‘Lawyer up!’ Across the country, far-left politicians and pundits immediately demanded a spasm of investigations and impeachments as soon as they assume control of both houses. Like a nation of Madame Defarges, activists are eagerly knitting the names of targets into the lists of the walking dead, starting with Haley Stevens, who decided to test the ‘big tent’ claims by splitting her ticket to vote against Abdul El-Sayed. The conditions on the Hill are only likely to make such rage politics more appealing with the new Congress. Despite the large margin secured in the House, it is not enough to overcome a veto requiring two-thirds of both houses.” (11/04/26)
- Trump as Ozymandias: The Most Impermanent President in History
Source: The Erick Erickson Show
by Erick-Woods Erickson“In 2024, Donald Trump assembled a multiracial and multiethnic coalition of voters who bristled at the progressivism of the Democrats and the wreckage of the economy. By 2026, Trump and his White House acolytes set that coalition on fire to cater to a group of hyperonline grievance mongers who have confused Twitter with real life. Last night, the American constitutional system worked as designed and worked so well and so thoroughly that the party that lied to itself in 2020 that it had lost only because the election was stolen is now lying to itself that it lost only because of gas prices and war. Last night’s drubbing was too complete to be theft.” (11/04/26)
https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/trump-as-ozymandias-the-most-impermanent
- California’s new chatbot law has a free speech problem
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by John Coleman“Fifteen years ago, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association struck down a California law barring the sale of violent video games to minors. The Court held that the state’s legitimate power to protect children does not include ‘free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.’ It also rejected the idea that the interactivity of video games made them legally different from books, plays, or films. Today, California is again overreaching to block access to an interactive medium in the name of child safety.” (11/04/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/californias-new-chatbot-law-has-free-speech-problem
- Midterm elections that chasten
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Perhaps the best result of America’s midterm elections was that President Donald Trump quickly accepted the results, contrary to his usual tendency to claim he always wins. On Tuesday night, he told The New York Times that he is ‘absolutely willing’ to honor the Democrats’ taking control of Congress. ‘We’ll … look forward to working with them,’ he said. The Republican Party in general was indeed humbled in a surprisingly high number of electoral contests, whether for Congress or statehouses. In their concession speeches, several losing GOP candidates took the time to express a measure of decency and civility about their defeat. ‘It’s important to win with humility and gratitude and lose with grace and dignity,’ said Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican who lost his seat to Sherrod Brown, a Democrat. ‘No matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, I want you to succeed.'” (11/04/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/1104/Midterm-elections-that-chasten
- Biden’s Gift to China: How Washington Helped Build Beijing’s AI Chip Industry
Source: American Greatness
by Julio Rivera“Joe Biden’s Washington set out to slow China’s march toward technological dominance. Instead, it may have handed Beijing one of the best incentives imaginable to build its own semiconductor industry. Now, as President Donald Trump pursues a different approach to win the AI race, a Congress controlled by his own party is considering provisions that could lock America into a more rigid export-control regime just when strategic flexibility matters most. The irony is hard to miss. Huawei chairman Xu Zhijun reportedly credited American pressure with helping China’s semiconductor industry grow. Washington wanted to make it harder for Chinese companies to obtain advanced chips and the equipment needed to manufacture them. Beijing’s response was to double down on domestic alternatives. When the world’s second-largest economy decides that it can no longer depend on American technology, it has every incentive to throw money, talent, and political muscle at building its own.” (11/04/26)
- Post-Election Day Thoughts
Source: Chris Spangle
by Chris Spangle“Voters will keep voting for their best chance at affordability until they get it. That’s why Trump won in 2024. People want the economy they had in 2018 again. It is, and always will be, the economy, stupid. We keep having change election after change election because both parties want to appeal to their increasingly radical bases and not to voters’ far more moderate views.” (11/04/26)
- Immunity Without Accountability: Who Answers When Government Fails?
Source: Town Hall
by Joe Abraham“Katie Abraham was 20 when she was killed on January 19, 2025, in Sanctuary Urbana, Illinois. Her death changed my life forever and sharpened a question beyond the person responsible for the crash: When government decisions affect public safety, who holds officials accountable when their policies or failures create foreseeable risks? Government officials need legal protections to perform their duties. Judges must make difficult decisions, legislators need room to deliberate, and executive officials must be able to govern without constant fear of personal lawsuits. But immunity is not one universal protection. Different legal standards apply to different officials and functions. Protecting legitimate judgment is one thing. Preventing serious failures from being examined is another. The familiar response to government failure is that voters can remove those responsible. Elections are essential, but their effectiveness depends on whether political power can meaningfully be challenged.” (11/04/26)
- The next Congress shouldn’t let Iran become a “background war”
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Andrew Jarocki“Truly ending a war of choice is hard. Anything short of total victory, especially for the American psyche, is unsatisfying. If the home front can be insulated from its consequences, the temptation is strong to wade deeper into a no man’s land between peace and war in search of a more palatable outcome. With Venezuelan oil on the way to rescue gas prices, perhaps just a few more months of conflict with Iran could secure a more face-saving end?a The hard-learned answer is no. Allowing the White House to continue to wage a conflict in the background, with no pressure to meet deadlines or clear metrics of victory, is like ignoring a steady drip from a pipe and acting surprised when the basement is eventually flooded.” (11/04/26)
- “It’s the war, stupid”: Dems sweep midterms on wave of voter anger
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Blaise Malley“Democrats secured an overwhelming victory in the midterm elections on Tuesday in a stunning rebuke to President Donald Trump’s first two years in office, winning majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives. By midnight Democrats flipped six Senate seats — including in reliably red states like South Carolina, Texas, and Kansas. As of this morning, they added Michigan and Maine. In a rare inversion of historical trends, foreign policy played a serious role in the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections. Exit polling showed 74% of voters said the Iran War was a ‘crucial’ or ‘major’ factor in their vote. Exit polling also found that 62% of voters believed using military force against Iran was the ‘wrong decision.’ This all jibed with polls leading up to the midterms.” (11/04/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/midterm-elections-2026-results/
- Israel Supporters Always Pretend To Believe Things They Don’t Actually Believe
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“The New York Times has published a story about a supposed Iranian plot to use chemical weapons which nobody actually believes. Not even the perpetually war-horny New York Times tries to frame this as a real news report, presenting it instead as a subject of tense division inside the Trump White House. … To be clear, not one single person anywhere on earth believes this is true. Israel doesn’t believe it. Washington doesn’t believe it. Nobody reading about it in the New York Times believes it. But we’re hearing about it anyway like it’s a real thing, because too many powerful people want more bombing in Iran.” (11/04/26)
- What a Half-Century of Congressional “Reform” Has Wrought
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg“Congress was not designed to be a parliament where parties vote in lockstep with their party leader in the White House. But that’s how it’s worked for decades. Starting in the 1970s, Congress was quietly revolutionized from within. It was all done in the name of ‘reform,’ but the better word is ‘deform.'” (11/04/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/congress-reform-broken-checks-balances/
- Trumpism Is Failing Because It Is Very, Very Stupid
Source: The New Republic
by Matt Ford“The MAGA movement is fully rooted in the promotion of ignorance and demonization of knowledge. That’s why it’s failing now. That’s why it will fail in the future.” (11/04/260
https://newrepublic.com/article/217517/midterm-2026-trumpism-without-trump
- Why Trump got the bloodbath he deserved
Source: spiked
by Sean Collins“‘Pretend I’m on the ballot’, said Trump, as he held rallies across the country. Yes, that’s what many did yesterday – they saw the midterms as a referendum on Trump, and they voted to give him a bloody nose. It was no big mystery what they didn’t like about Trump and his party. As exit polls showed, inflation, gas prices and the cost of living were top of mind. And voters blamed Trump for their unhappy circumstances, drawing a straight line between his policy choices – tariffs and the Iran war – and the tough cost-of-living situation they face. Whiffs of corruption (like the Qatari jet and Trump family deals) and bizarre preoccupations (like the ballroom and reflecting pool) just added to the sense that the president and his party are not focussed on people’s everyday concerns.” (11/04/26)
https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/11/04/why-trump-got-the-bloodbath-he-deserved/
- When Foreign Aid Succeeds, Why Doesn’t It End?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stephen Lewarne“USAID’s experience reveals a missing incentive at the heart of international aid: who is rewarded when a country no longer needs help?” (11/04/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/when-foreign-aid-succeeds-why-doesnt-it-end/
- The ECB’s Next Big Mistake?
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jake Scott“A flurry of recent news from the European Union has put the eurozone economy into the spotlight: amid a background of solid growth in the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), the European Central Bank (ECB) has held off another rise in interest rates as inflation sticks at 3.8%, almost double its medium-term target of 2%. On top of this, the president of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, has announced her intention to resign in February 2027, roughly nine months earlier than her tenure is expected to end. There is, evidently, a lot going on in this, but despite the significance of Lagarde’s announcement, the most important is the level of inflation.” (11/04/26)
- Five timeless political lessons that got lost in 2026
Source: Fox News Forum
by Jason Chaffetz“While the leadership of the House and Senate is changing, the fundamentals of American politics have not. In all the finger pointing that will ensue over the coming weeks, some things should already be clear. Regardless of where the last ballots fall, the basic principles of American politics remain the same. Voters still respond to the same things they always have. As Republicans look to 2028, they must double down on the basics of campaigning that stand the test of time. 1.) Candidate quality matters. Fielding the better candidate is not optional. … 2.) Results must be felt. A majority is judged by outcomes people can feel, not by legislative talking points. … 3.) Volume is not a strategy. Too much money is spent on strategies with too little value, often in ways that simply annoy voters….” (11/04/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jason-chaffetz-five-timeless-political-lessons-lost-2026
- Building An America We Are Proud Of
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein“Have Americans gotten the loyalty business all wrong? Are we grasping the ‘second rate’ when we rely on politics to lift us? We are the ones, not politicians, who will build an America we are proud of.” (11/04/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/building-an-america-we-are-proud-e42
- So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, 11/04/26
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“Trump vs. the Smithsonian: Who controls America’s history? w/ Jessica Dickinson Goodman.” (11/04/26)
- Bekah and Tyler Are Still Processing: The Midterm Elections
Source: Roads Go Ever On
“A recording from Bekah Graham and Tyler Harris’s live video.” (11/04/26)
https://bekahgwen.substack.com/p/bekah-and-tyler-are-still-processing
- Reason Roundtable, 11/04/26
Source: Reason
“Did the Midterm Elections Just Kill MAGA?” (11/04/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/11/04/did-the-midterm-elections-just-kill-maga/
- The Good Fight Club, 11/04/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Yascha Mounk, Larry Diamond, and Arlie Hochschild debate whether the blue wave marks the end of the MAGA era or merely a pause.” (11/04/26)
- TAC Right Now, 11/04/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Andrew Day, Luke Nicastro, and Juan Rojas discuss the stunning midterm election results, the role of the Iran War in sinking the GOP, and what comes next for Vice President J.D. Vance.” (11/04/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-election-rout-iran-war-reckoning/
- Rising, 11/04/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar dissecting the Republican’s poor performance in Tuesday’s midterm elections.” (11/04/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 11/04/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Big Blue Blowout: Winners, Losers, And The Way Ahead.” (11/04/26)
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 11/04/26
Source: The Dispatch
“You Are Insufficiently Grateful for Modernity | Interview: Chelsea Follett.” (11/04/26)
- The Vital Center, episode 98
Source: Niskanen Center
“Road-tripping through American history, with Beverly Gage.” (11/04/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/road-tripping-through-american-history-with-beverly-gage
- Reason Interview: Virginia Postrel
Source: Reason
“How Capitalism Quietly Revolutionized Everyday Life.” (11/04/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/11/04/how-capitalism-quietly-revolutionized-everyday-life/
- LPA Two Hour Lunch Hour, 11/04/26
Source: LP Alliance
“Join us for our anything goes podcast every Wednesday at noon eastern!” (11/04/26)
- Reasonably Optimistic, 11/04/26
Source: Washington Post
“Did the 2026 midterms put religion back in politics?” (11/04/26)
- Washington Monthly Podcast, 11/04/26
Source: Washington Monthly
“Who Counts in America?” (11/04/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/11/04/who-counts-in-america/
- PANEL: Can “America First” Become a Bipartisan Cause?
Source: The Realist Review
“Moderated by The New Yorker’s Ishaan Tharoor, James W. Carden, Christopher Mott, and Mark Hannah weigh in …” (11/04/26)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/panel-can-america-first-become-a
- NPR Politics Podcast, 11/04/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Dems win big in midterm elections.” (11/04/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/11/04/nx-s1-6028566/dems-win-big-in-midterm-elections
- Cato Weekly Podcast, 11/03/26
Source: Cato Institute
“The Original Sin of US Health Policy.” (11/03/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-weekly-podcast/original-sin-us-health-policy
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 11/03/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for our weekly chat. We talk about election day considerations and everything worthwhile that has nothing to do with politics.” (11/03/26)
- Nonzero, 11/03/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“When AI Enters the Quantum World | Robert Wright & Scott Aaronson.” (11/03/26)
- Privacy’s Defenders Podcast, 11/03/26
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
“The Secret Room.” (11/03/26)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/10/privacys-defenders-podcast-secret-room
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 11/03/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Claims He’ll End $4 Billion in Military Aid to Israel, US Watched Qeshm Air Defense, and More.” (11/03/26)